The Arena di Verona Opera Festival is performed in one of Italy’s best-preserved Roman amphitheaters, built in the 1st century AD. Going to an opera here is an unforgettable experience. This is opera on a massive scale. But is a bigger opera really a better opera? In this post, read my honest review of a performance at the Verona opera festival and find out how to plan your trip to the charming town that is also the home of Romeo and Juliet.
How to Buy Tickets for the Verona Opera Festival
It’s easy to go online and buy tickets for the Summer Verona Opera Festival. I paid 59 euros each for two seats in the stone amphitheater. Folding chairs closer to the stage were available at prices up to 270 euros.
We got tickets for the opera “Carmen” by Georges Bizet. My son the opera enthusiast figured that all the bullfighting would be an excuse for lots of pageantry. It was!
And if your level of opera appreciation is, “Look, mom, there are horses on the stage!” the Verona opera festival is for you.
Lots of empty space in this panorama of the Arena di Verona. In my opinion, the opera festival should allow for people to picnic and enjoy themselves, instead of enduring four hours with no real food and drink concessions in uncomfortable seats.
Bigger Opera is Not Better Opera
Despite the supersized orchestra and the efforts of world-class singers, this was a frustrating experience because of the poor acoustics. Seats on the ancient stones are seriously uncomfortable. People rented cushions or brought their own.
Waiting for the sun to set meant it didn’t even start until 9:15 pm. Changing gigantic sets required a 20 minute intermission between EVERY act.
In centuries past, operas had to have lots of intermissions so that people could gamble and drink during the interval. That’s how opera venues made money at a time when TV, video games and cat videos on YouTube weren’t competing for attention. Modern-day opera companies combine acts and limit intermissions to get people on their way home by 10:30 pm.
The long intermissions between each act in Verona made for an opera that was not going to end until nearly 2 am.
Fortify yourself with a hearty apertivo or an early dinner before going to an opera at the Arena di Verona. The scenery changes and intermissions make for an opera that starts at 9:15 and might not end until 2 am. No outside food or beverages allowed.
Four Hours with Pricey Drinks and No Food
The arena section of the Verona Opera festival had no concessions to speak of, except for overpriced cheap drinks. Outside food/beverages were not allowed. In different circumstances we’ve happily sat through 5 hours of Wagner, but this was torture. We ended up leaving early, having gotten our money’s worth after the grand spectacle of the first two acts.
My personal opinion is that they should let the audience spread out a bit and picnic, much like the Hollywood Bowl in California. The Verona Opera Festival has plenty of space because not all the seats in the massive arena are filled. But this is opera in Italy and they have their own way of celebrating it in different venues.
A lively scene in the square outside the Arena di Verona was more appealing than the uncomfortable stone seats and poor acoustics in the arena as the opera with 20 minute intermissions between each act dragged on. We left early after the first two acts of an opera we had seen many times in better conditions.
Honest Review of Verona Opera Festival
I can’t complain about the quality of the musicians and singers at the Verona Opera Festival. We had seen the tenor at a performance at La Scala in Milan the night before. However, the acoustics in Teatro alla Scala were perfect, while the Arena di Verona was just a giant echo chamber. The stagecraft is spectacular, but because the performers are so far away it’s hard to feel the emotional connection that opera is designed to create.
Bottom line: I’m glad I experienced the Verona Opera Festival. However, I don’t plan on going back. For a much better opera experience, here’s how to buy tickets for an opera at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
I can also recommend going to an opera at Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
It’s fun to walk around Verona’s Roman Amphitheater during the day to look at the massive sets for the operas. It’s like doing opera with floats from California’s Tournament of Roses Parade. These set pieces are from Verdi’s Aida. And they change to a different opera every day of the festival — a huge achievement! For that reason alone, it’s worth going to the Verona Opera Festival to marvel at opera on a massive scale.
Romeo and Juliet Tourism in Verona
The most popular year-round attractions in Verona are related to Shakespeare’s play about the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare never visited Verona. His Romeo and Juliet were fictional. “Juliet’s balcony” at the Casa di Giulietta was added in the 1930s. The palazzo is similar to one Juliet’s family might have lived in — if they were real people. A building associated with the fictional Romeo gets much less attention.
Entrance to the courtyard was free when I visited in 2022. Expect a long line and be aware that Verona has considered charging admission during popular times. Why the crowds? People line up to recite lines from the play and rub the breasts of Juliet’s statue for good luck. Keep in mind that Shakespeare’s Juliet was just 13 years old. Dudes lining up to rub a young teenager’s boobs — and take photos of themselves doing it — felt creepy to me.
There is a fee to go inside and pose on Juliet’s balcony. There’s also a museum with memorabilia of the play and movie adaptations including the film “Letters to Juliet.” The movie was inspired by messages from lovelorn visitors seeking relationship advice from Juliet, an imaginary girl who ended up killing herself and her sweetheart in the play. Go figure.
More Things to Do in Verona
Even though I didn’t love the Verona Opera Festival and thought Juliet’s house was tacky, I highly recommend a visit to Verona anyway. A tour of the arena when it is not reserved for opera is a must for Roman history buffs. Don’t miss the Piazza della Erbe, the ancient Roman forum that has been a marketplace for centuries.
Piazza della Erbe is just one of the many historic and cultural attractions in the streets outside the Verona opera festival. It has been a marketplace since Roman times.
Buy a combo ticket to visit all of Verona”s major churches. It was 8 euros at the time of my visit, much cheaper than paying at the entrance to each church. You’ll get a map of how to reach them all by foot.
The Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore dates back to the 10th century. That’s where I met a saint who was new to me, despite the years I spent in Catholic school. Saint Zeno was the black bishop who baptized this part of Italy. DNA tests on his relics confirmed that he did, indeed, come from Africa. The crypt of the basilica was the scene of the fictional marriage of Romeo and Juliet.
Planning your Trip to Verona
Getting to Verona: We drove to Italy from neighboring Slovenia. We stopped on the way in the charming city of Padua. The giant basilica there is dedicated to Saint Anthony, the Roman Catholic patron saint of Lost Things. We also found one of the best artisan wood-fired pizzas we’ve ever had!
From Milan, Verona is a two-hour drive on the autostrada. There are frequent bus and train connections. Many people visit Verona on a day trip from Venice. If you’re traveling by air, from the USA, the nearest international airports are Venice and Milan. There are frequent bus and train connections to Verona.
It is nearly impossible to park in the center of Verona where the arena and other tourist sites are located. Plan to park on the edge of the pedestrian zone and walk to the arena.
The Castelvecchio fortress has been guarding Verona since the Middle Ages. It is open for tours. This river view was on our short walk to the Verona Opera Festival from our rented apartment on the outskirts of the city center.
Where to Stay in Verona: The old center of Verona is a car-free pedestrian zone with a choice of hotels. We found a rental with free parking in a residential neighborhood, just a short walk from the Basilica of San Zeno and a square filled with restaurants. Walking another 15 minutes along a beautiful riverside embankment brought us to the Verona Opera festival in the arena.
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